Jennifer's Books

I've been working on this for a few days now, and it's ended up that some of these are also on others' lists. I also have more than one work by some authors.There are also several kids books. It's these particular books that I feel sparked my love of reading and therefore must be on my list.

 

In no particular order:

 

Venetia by Georgette Heyer - I loved the heroine, I loved the dialogue.

 

The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer - I absolutely adored everything about this one.

 

The Fourth Friend by Joy Ellis - My favorite of the Jackman/Evans books so far. This one had a heart wrenching ending that made me cry.

 

Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie - It would be so easy to pad this list with Christie books, but I've limited myself to two.  I love the way this book was structured.

 

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie - A fantastic book with an exceptional ending.

 

Burnt Offerings by Robert Marasco - This book really creeped me out. And that's not always an easy thing to do for me.

 

Be Buried in the Rain by Barbara Michaels - I haven't read many Barbara Michaels books, but this one is my favorite so far.

 

Ammie, Come Home by Barbara Michaels - The first Michaels book I read, and my second favorite after the one above.

 

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson - This is one of those books that you wish you could read it again for the first time. If that makes sense.

 

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier - This one is probably well known enough that it doesn't necessarily need to be on the list (as I think the goal was to try to curate a list of lesser known novels?), but I have to include it.

 

Naked in Death by J.D. Robb - This book came out nearly 25 years ago, and in my opinion holds up quite well. The series is still going strong all these years later, and that staying power alone earns it a place on my list. I also adore the characters and world Ms. Robb set up.

 

Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey - An excellent introductory book to a wonderful series. Also, the basis for the tv show, The Expanse.

 

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton - When I was in junior high, I was allowed to go over and check out books from the coveted high school section of the school library. The was the first book I chose. It's the first time I remember a book making me cry so hard I was sobbing.

 

Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary - I remember buying this from the book fair when I was in second grade. I felt so grown up, because it was (what I now know to be) mass market paperback size, and therefore the same size as the books my parents read. I also really related to Ramona.

 

Say Hello, Vanessa by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat - The summer between kindergarten and first grade, my family moved to a new town, which meant I'd be starting a new school. My parents bought me this book sometime during my 1st grade school year, and the story of a painfully shy little mouse wanting to make friends really spoke to me as I'm quite shy myself (and was even more so back then).

 

The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone - Grover was--and is--my favorite muppet. I read this book so much as a child that my copy literally fell apart.

 

Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss - Another one that's definitely not a lesser know book, but I'm including it because, it's just a fun, fun book to read.

 

How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss - Not lesser known, either, but definitely an essential to me.